The long-awaited talks between the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition will not be held this month, Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted a source close to preparatory talks.

Russia and the United States announced plans in May to convene a conference that would seek an end to the conflict in Syria.

After repeated delays due to opposition side’s changing stances and internal rifts, it had been hoped the talks would take place this month.

"The conference will not be held before December," Itar-Tass quoted the unidentified source as saying in Geneva as Russian and U.S. diplomats met UN special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in the Swiss city.

On Sunday Syria’s US-backed opposition announced they will not attend the talks unless a date is set for departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from his post.

Syrian government has announced its readiness for the talks without any pre-conditions while the western-backed opposition which his suffering from deep internal conflicts has been refusing to attend, citing different excuses.

The opposition which has shown signs of deep divisions in the past months is facing with great internal power struggles that have left the group unable to adopt a unique stance over the talks.

Tens of militants groups, many of them linked to al-Qaeda, had already rejected the Geneva talks and announced that participating in negotiations was an act of treason.

The opposition is pushing for Assad’s departure while it has never given a plan for the country.

Their alliance to al-Qaeda-linked groups and their reluctance to cooperate for ending the war has caused many of their supporters to side with the government.

The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for over two years.

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